So after noticing that all the guys who were kicking my ass were riding clipless, I decided to buy some crankbros. mallets and see if they would improve my time at all. I just got the pedals and shoes in and started practicing, I feel like I have a ton more control, but seem to bite the dirt a lot more. I was just seeing what the consensus is, for full on downhill racing, flats and tacky shoes or clipless? Who's kicking ass on what?
Clipless or Flats?
- Thread starter Gobig510
- Start date
the bike god invented fivetens
Ride whats doing good for the course. Clip in if its hella pedally beucase you get the upstroke and downstroke clipped in. if you have lots of tech and hekka corners eerwhere ride some flats beucase your foots going to bedown alot.
flats....
flats and 5-10's.
It's up to you as a rider. At the moment all the cool kids are running flats because its the in thing to do.
Simple answer is run what you feel more comfortable on. I recently went from flats to clipless and im loving it. The control I have is better and pedalling is also improved.
I've only had one big stack in the 2 months since I switched and I landed well clear of the bike so no problems with unclipping which is good as it was one of my big fears when I first went clipless.
Simple answer is run what you feel more comfortable on. I recently went from flats to clipless and im loving it. The control I have is better and pedalling is also improved.
I've only had one big stack in the 2 months since I switched and I landed well clear of the bike so no problems with unclipping which is good as it was one of my big fears when I first went clipless.
I ride DH, freeride as well as dirt jump so clipless is out. The flats are great and really scary grippy when paired with 5-10 shoes. Almost too grippy and make adjusting a little tricky from time to time.
Has more to do with the fact that there is a good alternative to clipless now.
I think it has little to do with what the cool kids are doing hence the big push to keep the 5-10's going after Intense ceased to make em.
Also like his fear to bail and be clipped in, I share the same fear. I'll stick to flats.
Has more to do with the fact that there is a good alternative to clipless now.
I think it has little to do with what the cool kids are doing hence the big push to keep the 5-10's going after Intense ceased to make em.
Also like his fear to bail and be clipped in, I share the same fear. I'll stick to flats.
I'll vouch for the 5-10s & flats. Sam Hill rides em, thats enough for me.
I'm a clipless guy. Too much cross country to feel comfortable racing DH on flats.
Just ride both and pick. Don't listen to what others do. If you want, you can look at the pros and some top guys run flats (Kovarik, Hill, Rennie...) and some run clips (Pear, Minnaar, Gracia...). Lots of those guys will switch it up a bit (flats for DJs, freeriding). Just shows you that both can be fast.
I've ridden flats for a while and clips for a while. Both were good. I use clips now, but I might switch around a bit next season.
I've ridden flats for a while and clips for a while. Both were good. I use clips now, but I might switch around a bit next season.
take note of the World Champion's placing at Sea Otter....
My opinion is that they both have a place as long as you're using flat sole shoes as your clipless shoes. With the mallets, make sure you use BOTh plastic spacers under the cleat. It's absolutely neccesary to get easy clips in and, most importantly, clipping out.
Clean out a BIG circle of the sole out in an egg shape around the cleat, particularly in front and back of the cleat, not so much on each side. You'll be able to pop in and out much, much easier.
I love using 5.10's at places like Windrock or Diablo because you can one foot. But at the same time, I can go down both places clipped in all the same. If there are shallow courses with lots of time to be made up by skimming sections and bunny hopping logs, rocks,etc..I always prefer my clips to flats as I'll tend to hang up on stuff with flats.
Drag stripping, berms...drifting corners....all can be "learned" in clipless if you need them for sprinting. But most guys I know that run flats...if they're fast enough...can outcrank a guy in clips in all but really pedally courses like Sea Otter.
Clean out a BIG circle of the sole out in an egg shape around the cleat, particularly in front and back of the cleat, not so much on each side. You'll be able to pop in and out much, much easier.
I love using 5.10's at places like Windrock or Diablo because you can one foot. But at the same time, I can go down both places clipped in all the same. If there are shallow courses with lots of time to be made up by skimming sections and bunny hopping logs, rocks,etc..I always prefer my clips to flats as I'll tend to hang up on stuff with flats.
Drag stripping, berms...drifting corners....all can be "learned" in clipless if you need them for sprinting. But most guys I know that run flats...if they're fast enough...can outcrank a guy in clips in all but really pedally courses like Sea Otter.
Clipless. They make me more confident moving the bike around in the air.
...couldn't have said it better.
I run both - usually I'll run clipless (Adidas Hematomas w/ Shimano SPD) for smooth, fast courses like Mt. Snow that have some pedaling and for rainy, slippery, rough courses I'll run my flats (5.10's). Theoretically you should run flats if its slippery or rough b/c you can use your legs to gain more control over the bike, but I'm not at the point yet where I can clip/un-clip at will. My 5.10's have so much grip they're almost like clipless anyway.
I think the exact opposite
just switched from flats and 510's to clipless. ill NEVER go back for DH'ing. i live in San Luis Obispo for school and the bay area is home. SLO has the rockiest trails youve seen in your life, ad clips keep your feet planted and im able to go numerous times faster b/c of not worring about loosing a pedal. flats have there time and place though. dj'in or freeride, i wouldnt ride clips.
I just switched back to flats for racing... I feel WAY better about it.
I'm riding Forte' Shovel pedals. I know, I know, but they're the grippiest pedals I've ever ridden. Been riding them for a few weeks now, and haven't had my foot slip off once. That includes some big 4 foot drops and jumps.
I wear a pair of iPath high-tops with velcro. They stick like glue.
I'm riding Forte' Shovel pedals. I know, I know, but they're the grippiest pedals I've ever ridden. Been riding them for a few weeks now, and haven't had my foot slip off once. That includes some big 4 foot drops and jumps.
I wear a pair of iPath high-tops with velcro. They stick like glue.
I've been riding clipless for DH and freeride for long time now. I've been wanting to start using flats for certain courses and some stunts, but everytime I try them and jump something of decent size my feet get pushed off the pedals. Me no likey that feeling. Any suggestions for keeping better contact with the pedals.
gotta be the shoes. 5-10s
I just run flats on my DH bike. I really just dont want to crash at high speed or in a super rough/technical spot while I'm clipped in. I fear not thinking fast enough to get unclipped. One of my buddies switched to clipless and he crashes a lot more. I'm trying to not do that.
I do ride clipped in for my CX bike. DH can get a lot more sketchy/fast than cx.
I do ride clipped in for my CX bike. DH can get a lot more sketchy/fast than cx.
Well, just to add some more opinion on the matter, I haven't noticed that I crash any more in my clips than flats. I can think of quite a few times where I was going pretty fast, front end started to wash out and I got my foot out in time to give a quick dab. I can't think of any times riding DH when I crashed because I was wearing clipless and not flats.
I can, however, think of one or two times where my crashes were more severe because of the clipless. I was at Diablo once and went OTB on a really steep, rocky section. One foot didn't come out and (this is a guess on my part) I think it made the injury quite a bit worse. My leg went numb mid-air and I pulled all the muscles from my right calf to the left side of my lower back. It sucked. Not enough for me to give up the clipless...but it did suck...
I can, however, think of one or two times where my crashes were more severe because of the clipless. I was at Diablo once and went OTB on a really steep, rocky section. One foot didn't come out and (this is a guess on my part) I think it made the injury quite a bit worse. My leg went numb mid-air and I pulled all the muscles from my right calf to the left side of my lower back. It sucked. Not enough for me to give up the clipless...but it did suck...
That dog ain't so old if flat pedals are a new trick. I rode flats for bmx and toe clips for mtb for years before clipless pedals came around. I'm 36.
Anyway, I switch back and forth depending on the ride and my mood. I generally ride clipless for anything involving lots of pedaling and flats for more gnarly and technical stuff.
As for tips for keeping your feet on, it helps to angle your feet so your pedals are in front of your feet as much as underneath. It also helps to use your body to create downward pressure on the pedals. Hard to explain, the best I can do is say you basically pull up on the bars to get leverage to push down with your legs. It's just a technique thing that seems natural after a while.
<------------------------ Likes Clipless
Clipless for DH and FR for me, I dont feel as confident on the bigger drops/jumps with flats. and I like my feet to stay in one place on the downhill runs. But for DJ its flats.
Ive have been running clips for a while now and have had some time on both clips and flats. I feel that I can get better pumps, and have more control over the bike. As far as getting a foot out if things start to get sketchy and I start to wash, it has become a natural instict to unclip and dab and get it all back in control. Now I know I still have a ways to go to be completely comfortable in clips but I think Im on my way. But BIZUTCH said it good, its completely up to your style and what YOU prefer. But PLEASE dont be the person who only rides flats because samhill does, thats just him and what he prefers, its not a forsure thing that your going to be fast on flats just because sam hill is... I hate stupid people
I ride both , depending on my mood , the trail, when I feel like it, what phase of the moon it is, or any other random factors. I see no point in limiting yourslef to one type and then rampantly defending it. Most of the time for me it is clipless, if the track has enough things like tight dusty switchbacks, lots of quick direction changes ill ride flats. The whole "pride" for riding one or the other seems seriously stupid to me.
Have you seen mythbusters recently? They did teach an old dog new tricks..
Heck...I even throw myself a curve and do trail rides with flats from time to time if it's a trail I've got down pat in clips. It makes the trail completely different.
Don't ask people what you should use they have no idea what you're comfortable riding with. If you think clips are gona make you go faster and win more races look at the pro's, there prob 50/50 on flats/clips. So it really does not matter, ride what you race best in.
Well the climbing gods invited 5.10, they were just nice enough to let us borrow them.
Ride what feels right plenty of fast guys on both...not many that can jump back and forth. I perfer clips myself.
Like they said, drop your heels to angle your feet a bit. But it could be your pedals. A few years ago I had a set of really tall crupi bmx pedals, the tall profile would roll under my feet if I hit something really hard. That's why pretty much all dh pedals brag about being low profile.
Rode flats as a punk because that's all there was, then toe-clips, and switched to clipless for xc racing 15 yrs ago. So I'm pretty dialed on clipless and can't keep my feet on flats.
One thing that has been overlooked in previous posts is running a clipess pedal that has adjustable spring tension for cleat retention (not all clipless pedals are adjustable). I run my pedals (Shimano 959's) way loose so I can get in and most importantly out of them REAL easy. If you're crossing over, it's really helpfull to back off the spring tension significantly so you can pop out of the pedal and not get drug down with your bike. When you're comfy, then increase the tension a little bit. With even more time and technique, you can really back the tension off without accidentally coming unclipped. Keeping your cleats and pedals clean and lubed (lot's of wd40 for mud) is another key to not getting in a bind.
Another thing to consider when you're comfy getting in and out of clipess pedals is getting rid of the platform(ie mallets and 545's/647's). It's more parts to break and weight to carry. If you're clipped in you're more likely to pedal and go faster with more control.
But like everyone else says, ride what suits you.
One thing that has been overlooked in previous posts is running a clipess pedal that has adjustable spring tension for cleat retention (not all clipless pedals are adjustable). I run my pedals (Shimano 959's) way loose so I can get in and most importantly out of them REAL easy. If you're crossing over, it's really helpfull to back off the spring tension significantly so you can pop out of the pedal and not get drug down with your bike. When you're comfy, then increase the tension a little bit. With even more time and technique, you can really back the tension off without accidentally coming unclipped. Keeping your cleats and pedals clean and lubed (lot's of wd40 for mud) is another key to not getting in a bind.
Another thing to consider when you're comfy getting in and out of clipess pedals is getting rid of the platform(ie mallets and 545's/647's). It's more parts to break and weight to carry. If you're clipped in you're more likely to pedal and go faster with more control.
But like everyone else says, ride what suits you.
thanks guys, i think i'll run either, depending on the course
Clips on right, flats on left, its the both of best worlds all at once.
FLATS with DC shoes.
Even though i don't find myself taking my feet off the pedals much,i know that i can at speed super fast..Plus it's hard to do a no footer with clips & survive! lol
Even though i don't find myself taking my feet off the pedals much,i know that i can at speed super fast..Plus it's hard to do a no footer with clips & survive! lol
i think its totally riding style dependent a couple of my boys swore by clips even when just riding for fun, but alot have changed over to flat when they got a chance to ride them again.
i tried riding clips and i couldn't do it cause i have my feet all over the pedals at angles on flats. i like the fact that they keep your foot on the pedals when going through rock gardens especially on my 223 it was a big improvement. my style just suits flats better though, cause i like to drift and i find the clips mentally damaging.
i think once youve just mastered flats i think its only slightly worse than clips and they both have there ups and downs so just find which suits your style.
i see it this way
flats are easier to learn but much harder to master.
clips are harder to learn but easier once you know what your doing.
i tried riding clips and i couldn't do it cause i have my feet all over the pedals at angles on flats. i like the fact that they keep your foot on the pedals when going through rock gardens especially on my 223 it was a big improvement. my style just suits flats better though, cause i like to drift and i find the clips mentally damaging.
i think once youve just mastered flats i think its only slightly worse than clips and they both have there ups and downs so just find which suits your style.
i see it this way
flats are easier to learn but much harder to master.
clips are harder to learn but easier once you know what your doing.
julian's got it right.